Immediate effect of one-fifth, one-third, and half of body weight lumbar traction on disc morphology in patients with disc herniation - a case series

Kshipra Shastri*, Sakshi Chilwant, Shyam D Ganvir

Department of Community Physiotherapy, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University) School of Physiotherapy, Pune

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Kshipra Shastri, Sakshi Chilwant, Shyam D Ganvir, 2025. Immediate effect of one-fifth, one-third, and half of body weight lumbar traction on disc morphology in patients with disc herniation - a case series. Journal of medical pharmaceutical and allied sciences, V 14 - I 3, Pages - 09 – 15. Doi: https://doi.org/10.55522/jmpas.V14I3.6854.

ABSTRACT

Lumbar traction is a widely utilized treatment option for lumbar disc herniation; however, the optimal traction dosage remains uncertain. This study intending to compare the immediate effects of varying traction weights on disc morphology and pain levels using real time MRI in individuals with Lumbar disc herniation, addressing a critical gap in clinical practice. in human plasma. Method novelty, sensitivity, rapidity, precision, and accuracy were evaluated. Three patients, (60-year-old female, a 60-year-old male, and a 64-year-old male), with diagnosed with posterior or posterolateral lumbar intervertebral disc herniation at the L4-L5 or L5-S1 levels were enrolled. Real time MRI used to assess were lumbar height and disc herniation, while pain intensity was evaluated using Visual analogue Scale (VAS). Traction was applied at three different weights: one fifth, one third and one half of each patient’s body weight. Measurements were taken before and after traction session. Traction with half of the body weight resulted in a considerable improvement in lumbar height compared to lesser weights (P <0.001) with notable reduction in disc herniation (P < 0.003). All groups experienced reduced pain levels, with no significant differences in VAS scores among the different weights (P = 0.07). Half-body weight traction showed immediate improvements in lumbar disc morphology, such as increased disc height and smaller herniation size. Although all traction weights relieve pain, half-body weight traction provided additional structural improvement. These findings highlight the importance of individualized traction dosage based on patient-specific factors and treatment objectives.

Keywords:

Traction, MRI, Herniated disc, Disc morphology.

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